Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Wireless Scanning for Cheap Products
I don’t remember where I saw this on a blog.
The concept goes something like this:
With the popularty of cellphones with cameras and Internet access retailers will soon be faced with a new problem. That will be the consumer with have the ability to enter a retailer, pickup a product and “scan” the UPC with the phone and have Froogle or similar service find it cheaper. They would even be able to order it while standing in the store.
What do you think retailers will do to combat this idea? I see two possibilities.
1) Stop all communications from within the store. Of course, that would upset their customers who are not doing the “cheaper scan.”
2) Provide all products with a UPC unique to that retailer.
That is already being done with some products like computers and matresses. (Keeps them from actually having to match prices.)
What do you think?
The concept goes something like this:
With the popularty of cellphones with cameras and Internet access retailers will soon be faced with a new problem. That will be the consumer with have the ability to enter a retailer, pickup a product and “scan” the UPC with the phone and have Froogle or similar service find it cheaper. They would even be able to order it while standing in the store.
What do you think retailers will do to combat this idea? I see two possibilities.
1) Stop all communications from within the store. Of course, that would upset their customers who are not doing the “cheaper scan.”
2) Provide all products with a UPC unique to that retailer.
That is already being done with some products like computers and matresses. (Keeps them from actually having to match prices.)
What do you think?
# posted by Lynn Wegley @ 5:14 AM 
